Read more about the latest episode of the “Newhouse Impact” podcast and listen to the show.
You’ve probably heard news stories and government hearings about data privacy. People are concerned about the information that’s gathered about their online activity, shopping and search habits, and even personal data. Products are marketed guaranteeing to stop any digital snooping about you.
On this episode of “Newhouse Impact,” Beth Egan, an associate professor of advertising, takes a deep dive into how advertisers use such information to target messages to those most likely to buy their products or services. She also warns the cancellation of all online data could severely limit accessibility of information on the internet – since those ad dollars pay for a lot of the content most people expect to get for free. Egan also shares concerns about government efforts to limit data gathering and use as being ill informed.
Egan has a Ted Talk, “Why Data Sharing is Important & how the Internet Works Without It,” to inform people further about online data, why you see certain ads online and how few businesses really know want to know your identity.